


Angels of Vengeance

by DrivelLegion



Category: Titanfall (Video Games)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 00:13:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22026790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrivelLegion/pseuds/DrivelLegion
Summary: Typhon has been lost. The fold weapon meant to end the war has been destroyed. The IMC has suffered a terrible defeat. However, General Marder is determined to defeat the Militia at any cost. With the Apex Predators defeated and Kubin Blisk no longer available, Marder turns to another mercenary unit to carry out his contingency plan. Celestial, a four man team of ace pilots from across the frontier, is tasked with a secret mission. They will be infiltrating Harmony itself, preparing the way for an IMC counter-attack. It's a dangerous mission, and Seraph suspects that it may be a one way trip. Will Celestial beat the odds and succeed? Can they still complete their mission when their orders stop making sense? And can they carry on when they learn the truth behind their objective?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Angels of Vengeance

The deck shook beneath Seraph's feet as he watched the debris shriek past the ship's viewports. The shields deflected the smaller rocks, but the larger chunks of the planet needed to be destroyed by the deck guns. Their crimson fire sent light streaking through the vacuum of space, blasting the earth into silent explosions of soil and minerals. Typhon was gone, its core split open by the implosion of the fold weapon. Magma spilled out of the stricken planet into the unfeeling cold of space, swiftly solidifying itself into massive black asteroids.

Seraph sat near the viewport, calmly checking over his weaponry. He pulled the breech of his hemlock open, analyzing the chamber for any sign of blockage or corrosion. There was none. The weapon was in pristine condition, just as it was when Seraph had checked it five minutes ago. The IMC pilot sighed and slammed the breech closed again. The exercise was routine, nothing more than a way to pass the time. His unit, the elite Celestial Corp, had been assigned a drop time. They were to land on the surface and take over for the Apex Predators, mopping up what little of the Militia remained on Typhon after the fold weapon destroyed Harmony. No announcement had come through, but one quick glance into space made it fairly obvious that the orders would be cancelled. 

Seraph gathered himself up, grunting as he rose to his feet and turned away from the viewport. He nearly collided with Angel, who had been standing silently nearby.

"Shit!" Seraph gasped. "You scared me, Angel. How long have you been standing there?"

"About as long as you've been sitting there," she replied. Angel was short for a trained soldier, barely over five feet tall. At a glance, one could easily have mistaken the pretty redhead for a pinup from an old-fashioned recruitment poster and not recognize her for the deadly warrior that she was. Even now she was twirling her knife between her fingers with frightening speed and skill. She grinned up at Seraph, enjoying the surprise on his face. "Sightseeing again, were you? Planning to write another poem about it?"

"Shut up," Seraph snarled. He knew Angel's teasing was good-natured and fairly universal, but it was a touchy subject, especially with the burning hulk of a dead planet in his peripheral vision. "If you yap about that where people can hear you then I'll tell them exactly how you found my notebook to begin with."

Angel's grin faltered for a moment. "Sorry, Seraph. Bad time for jokes, isn't it? Let's just forget it. Come on. The others are in the briefing room. We're all waiting to hear our new orders from Marder."

They walked toward the briefing room side by side. The riflemen and ship crew were milling about in all directions, preparing for a jump. Everyone moved with a singular purpose, their tasks all important and absorbing, but every single man and woman moved out of the way of the pilots. It didn't matter what your rank or station was. On an IMC frontier battleship the pilots always took precedence. If they were on the move, then they were headed somewhere important. Titanfalls needed to be done with precision timing, and being the reason for a pilot missing his drop was a fast-track to unemployment. Seraph paid them little mind. So long as everyone did their job and minded their own business, he was happy.

For a long time neither pilot said a word. There was a pleasant closeness that the pilots of Celestial felt for one another, a sort of comfort with each other that didn't require words. Even so, the recent events seemed to warrant a bit more than silent contemplation. It was Angel who spoke first.

"You have any friends on Typhon?" she asked.

"A few," Seraph replied. "The 83rd was assigned to support Blisk."

Angel frowned. "That's... Micah's unit, isn't it?"

"It was." Seraph glanced at her. He hadn't expected her to remember the name of his friend in the rifleman teams. "Word is that the Apex Predators and every unit under their command was wiped out by a single SRS pilot and his titan."

"That can't be right," said Angel. "No one is that good, not even Blisk himself."

Seraph shrugged. "Does it matter? Even if he didn't kill them directly, he got them when he destroyed the fold weapon. I just hope he sacrificed himself to make it happen. I'd sleep easier tonight knowing that he's dead."

"Yeah," Angel agreed, not knowing what else to say. After a moment of awkward silence she continued. "Lena was in the 83rd, too."

Seraph stopped walking and Angel halted beside him. "Oh," he said. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought your sister was a pilot too."

"She was," Angel replied. "But after Demeter she got demoted. Something about a negative performance review."

"That's... just wrong. They can do that? Pick you up and drop you in a rifle squad just like that?"

"Apparently."

Seraph shook his head. "I've got to start reading fine print more often."

"Why? The IMC will just rewrite it while you aren't looking anyway."

Seraph placed his hand on her shoulder, making eye contact with her. "Are you alright, Kat?"

Angel smiled weakly. She and Seraph had gone through training together, back in the days before they had been assigned codenames. Saying another Celestial's real name out loud was technically forbidden, but Seraph would slip up on occasion, usually to show her that he was being especially serious about something. It was endearing, and it made the tightness in her chest ease slightly. She sighed. "Look, I don't really want to think about it right now. Hasn't really sunk in yet, you know? Let's just go get our orders so I can have something to do." She smiled more broadly, but it was an empty expression. "Besides, I gotta give you something to do other than stare out the window."

Seraph raised an eyebrow. He knew that her cheerful demeanor was a front, but he didn't want to press her. After a moment he simply nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Let's go talk to Marder. That should cheer us all up."

They laughed humorlessly together at the absurd statement, then continued on their way.

-

General Marder was surprisingly calm for a man who had just lost an entire planet to the enemy. His holofig stood with its arms folded behind its back, pacing slowly from one side of the projector to the other. Marder looked from one pilot to the next, sizing them each up in turn. "I am certain that you are wondering about your next move," he said. "Obviously, your previous assignment to take over guarding the Ark is cancelled. The Ark is lost, and Typhon along with it. Fortunately, this loss has been foreseen and planned for."

"Foreseen?" Cherub asked in disbelief. The captain's fists were clenched, her scarred face contorted with suppressed rage. "You knew we would lose the planet?"

"Not exactly," Marder replied. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the results from the first Ark test fire. The possibility of catastrophic failure was considered possible, and so a contingency plan was put in place. The plan involved your unit, Captain. You should be proud."

Throne took up the same stance as Cherub, gritting his teeth. "That's why you held us in reserve during the Militia assault on the Draconis."

"Precisely," said the general. "I only ordered you into action after Blisk abandoned the planet. It was far more important that you be kept away from any potential disaster."

"Playing second fiddle to the Apex Predators again," Seraph muttered. "What's the order, General?"

Marder regarded Seraph with an even glance. It was difficult to tell over the holonet, but for a moment the general's face showed a strange edge of hostile admiration. "Rest assured, Lieutenant, you will not need to worry about being in their shadow any longer. Given their recent... conflict of interest with our mission, the IMC has nullified its continuing employment contract with Blisk and his unit." He turned to Cherub. "As of today, you are the acting Special Operations Brigade. Congratulations on your promotions. Your salaries shall be adjusted accordingly." He took a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing. "Your next assignment is an infiltration mission. As you know, Harmony is the central stronghold of the Militia. The fold weapon was set to target it for destruction, but that is no longer possible. Fortunately, we have a solution." Marder waved his hand, and a technical readout of a complicated device appeared before him. "This is a tectonic resonance detonator, or TRD. It is a device created from advances made by our study of the Ark and its energy output capabilities. Your unit will be equipped with these weapons. You will be dropped onto Harmony solo, and your mission will be to place these devices at a set of coordinates which will be provided to you prior to landing. If completed correctly, you will destroy the Militia strongpoints on Harmony's surface, opening the world to a full-scale invasion. Any questions?"

"A few," said Cherub. "How are you going to get us there? Harmony is crawling with Militia ships. Anything the gets within titanfall range will be blasted out of the sky before it can open its bay doors."

"We have prepared a modified freighter for this purpose. It will land with a standard cargo of trade goods, and your unit will be hidden inside. You will be dropped from the upper atmosphere during the comms blackout caused by atmospheric entry in specially designed HALO pods. If all goes well, your landing will be undetected. Once you land the exact course of action will be up to your discretion. We have virtually no intel on the current state of Harmony other than what may be obtained through orbital surveillance, so you will operate on standing orders. Keep a low profile and do not draw unnecessary attention. Get the devices in place by 04:00 on the twenty-third. You will have thirty days once you land. If the devices are not in place when that time arrives, the invasion cannot begin and you will find yourselves without extraction."

"Understood," said Cherub. "It's not an easy assignment, but Celestial will get it done."

"You drop in 48 hours," said Marder. "Be in position for departure by 16:00. Dismissed." The image of Marder vanished, leaving the pilots alone in the briefing room. Seraph slung his helmet over his shoulder with a sigh.

"Doesn't give us a lot of room to breathe, does it?" he asked.

"No, it doesn't," Cherub agreed. "But it doesn't give the Militia any breathing room either. The plan is sound. Now is the best time to catch them off guard. The quicker we move the better our odds of success." She looked across at Throne. "Are the titans ready to go?"

The veteran was older than most of the other members of Celestial, and he had been a titan pilot for as long as they had existed. His face was more grizzled and marked with old wounds than Cherub's. His expression was almost permanently frozen in a frowning position, but today he looked even worse than usual. He nodded slowly. "YH-3265 is getting her acolyte pod rearmed, but other than that we're good."

Cherub nodded her approval. "Good. Get to your machines and standby, everyone. Make your final checks and move your titans to the loading dock."

-

"Seraph, your vital signs are fluctuating. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Dizzy." Seraph grunted as he gave the safety harness an experimental tug. "Just got a lot on my mind right now."

DZ-8421's compound eye swiveled as it focused on his pilot's face. The scorch titan looked unconvinced, an impressive feat for a machine with no facial expressions. "Is it because of Planet Typhon? Analysis indicates that you are internalizing negative emotions. This behavior is self destructive. I recommend that you decompress. Talk to me, Seraph."

Seraph let out a deep sigh. "It's not about Typhon."

"Understood," replied the titan. "Angel mocked your poetry again."

"Dizzy..."

"Poetry is a viable use of excess time. Art has inherent value, and has been of great use to-"

"Enough, Dizzy!"

"Apologies, Seraph. My intention was not to frustrate."

Seraph chuckled as he hauled himself into DZ's waiting cockpit. "I'm not frustrated with you. I just need to clear my head for a bit. Load up simulation 416."

The blast shields slid into place behind him and the screens flickered to life as DZ loaded the desired function. "Caution," he said. "Your meeting with the rest of Celestial is scheduled ten minutes from now. Your record completion time for this simulation is twelve minutes and three seconds."

Seraph gripped the controls. "Then we'd better get started. Follow my lead, Dizzy. I'm going to beat Throne's time today."

"Unlikely," DZ replied. "Running simulation 416. Commence operation."

The projection beads on the cockpit's armored lining flickered to life, displaying the virtual battlefield. It was an open expanse of purple grass, pockmarked by black craters formed by orbital strikes and artillery barrages. There was no cover of any kind, just uneven ground and room to maneuver. Before Seraph stood an entire squad of titans: two ions, a legion, a vanguard, and a ronin. Seraph had no allies. The mission was simple. He was meant to survive for two minutes. Of course, simply surviving wasn't good enough for Celestial. If someone wanted a place in their ranks they needed to go beyond the base requirements. They needed to win the engagement. Seraph smiled to himself as the familiar adrenaline began to pump through his heart. He gripped the controls and surged forward as the start command appeared.

Seraph knew his machine. A scorch was a thinking man's titan. Its weapons were deadly at close range, but firing directly at the enemy was far from its intended purpose. The scorch was meant to control the field with the use of burning thermite. As Seraph rushed his opponents his mind was already running at full speed. He fired two thermite canisters, one in front of the formation and another in the rear. They landed and deployed themselves, venting the unignited gas into a wide area. Seraph immediately followed up by slamming DZ's fists into the ground. The launchers mounted on the forearms sent sparks flying across the earth, leaving a trail of viciously bright thermite in its wake. The sparks ignited the canisters, and the enemy titans found themselves surrounded by flames. The two ions and the legion took forward positions, firing madly at the charging scorch. It was a deadly amount of fire, and it would have been more than enough to instantly shred Seraph, but he had expected the response. He activated DZ's rear-mounted thrusters, pushing himself even closer. The ions overshot him, but the legion was directly in front of him and couldn't have missed if he tried. The rounds punched through the shields almost instantly, and the rounds stripped chunks of armor from Seraph's titan. Seraph pushed further ahead, closing into melee range. He threw a quick punch at the legion as it tried to deploy its shield, sending it toppling backwards into the termite behind it. Its bulk crushed the canister, bathing it in liquid fuel. It ignited instantly, melting the joints together and boiling the pilot alive in his cockpit. Seraph wasted no time watching the spectacle. He dashed to the left as the ronin fired at him, dodging the shot and making for the first ion. He closed with it, and its pilot fired his laser into the main sensor array.

"Warning: vision impaired," said DZ. "Recommend you disengage."

Seraph said nothing, choosing to ignore the advice. If he pulled away now he could easily make the two minute timer, but that was not his goal. He deployed the flame shield, and DZ's left hand erupted into a swirling disc of hellish fire. Seraph shoved the hand against the ion's cockpit, melting the hatch enough for him to reach inside and vaporize the pilot. DZ's body rocked as the second ion blasted him from behind, its splitter rifle spewing charged pellets at maximum spread. It had deployed tripwire mines between them, and Seraph knew that he could not charge his quarry without losing his legs in the process. Fortunately, he knew he didn't have to. Right on cue, he heard DZ's voice.

"Flame core ready."

Seraph dashed forward, ducking under a shower of vanguard missiles as he took position. The ronin had moved to intercept him, its sword poised to strike. It swung the hunk of steel in a deadly arc. Seraph spun in place, trying to stop the blow with his right arm, but the blade cut clean through. DZ's thermite launcher dropped uselessly to the ground as the arm fell away. With a roar Seraph grabbed the ronin with the left hand, clamping onto its chassis and tossing it toward the ion. The two titans avoided colliding with one another, standing side by side. Seraph flipped the core switch, and the launchers on the left arm glowed with intense heat as they drew power directly from the secondary reactor core. He slammed the arm against the ground, shaking the earth as a massive wave of fire swept over the two titans. The ronin attempted to phase through the fire, but reemerged from its shift into the path of flame the attack had left behind. It was a sound move, but it was not enough to save the machine. Its legs gave out under the immense heat, and it toppled into the fire. The ion had been covered in thermite, slumping over as its body melted into a nearly unrecognizable pile of slag. Seraph turned to face the vanguard, panting as he prepared to face the true challenge.

The vanguard class titan was a new design, exclusive to the Militia. They were popular with the SRS, particularly the infamous Marauder Corp. They were fast, intelligent, tough, and adaptable. They could mount any weapon system, and in most cases wield them better than the machines originally designed to carry them. This one was mounted with a monarch setup, and it was taking aim at Seraph's cockpit. Seraph deployed his flame shield, letting his energy shield recharge as the fire melted the rounds from the vanguard's rifle. It wasn't complete protection, but it would buy him a few more seconds. He checked the timer. He had passed the two minute mark a good while ago, and he was getting dangerously close to his time limit.

"Well," he sighed. "Fortune favors the bold."

He dropped the shield and sprinted ahead, popping two more thermite canisters onto the field. The vanguard tried to pull back, its pilot knowing better than to fight a scorch up close. Seraph sent thermite flying from his left arm and ignited the canisters, and the vanguard had to stop its retreat to avoid running through a field of flame. It faced Seraph, its acolyte missile pod raising as it locked onto DZ. Seraph readied himself for the impact. He knew his hull couldn't take the full weight of a missile barrage, but if he was quick enough he might be able to hit the vanguard first and throw its shots off target. He tensed the legs and jumped, leaping through the air with his fist pulled back, winding up for a punch. The doors of the acolyte pod flew open, exposing the warheads. Seraph's palms went slick with sweat as he closed in for the final strike.

The screens went black as the cockpit sprung open. DZ crouched down automatically, but Seraph hadn't been prepared for the action. His grip on the controls slipped, and he stumbled awkwardly out onto the deck and slammed into Cherub. The officer flung him aside effortlessly, tossing him into the wall as she dusted herself off.

"You're late," she growled. "Playing wargames before launch again, Seraph, really?"

"Yeah," Seraph replied as he picked himself up. His head was still swimming from the sudden release from VR, and he staggered a bit as he straightened his stance. "I was about to beat my record, too. You couldn't give me a few more seconds?"

"We head out in two minutes. Get to your seat now." Cherub jammed her forefinger into his chest. "You're in Celestial, Seraph. I don't run a circus here. Get your act together and start behaving like a professional before I kick your ass straight into one of the grunt corps." She pulled her helmet over her head and walked away, calling over her shoulder. The edge in her tone faded slightly. "Come on. I'm going to need you two down there. Don't miss the drop, alright?"

Seraph smiled at her retreating form. "You got it, boss. I'll be there." He turned to DZ, staring up at the expressionless sensor array. He felt almost as though the machine was silently judging him. "I could have made it," he said.

"I never said that you couldn't," replied the titan.

"You were thinking it."

The sensor array twitched slightly. "Your knowledge of my internal processing is... uncanny, Seraph. Requesting information on how you acquire this knowledge."

Seraph waved the question away with a laugh. "It's a human thing, Dizzy. You wouldn't understand. Come on. We've got a job to do."


End file.
